Dubai aims for 23-25 million tourists a year by 2025

Dubai has set a goal of attracting 23-25 million visitors a year by 2025, the emirate’s crown prince said on Wednesday.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said the emirate’s Executive Council adopted the goal during a meeting.

“Our goal is to achieve the sustainability of the tourism sector after Expo 2020,” he said on Twitter.

“With the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum we will achieve our goal to be Dubai the most visited city in the world, by adopting a set of ambitious development plans and initiatives and specific projects that will form a strong foundation to establish Dubai’s leadership as a favourite tourist destination for millions around the world.”

برؤية صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم سنحقق هدفنا بأن تكون دبي المدينة الأكثر زيارة في العالم، من خلال تبني مجموعة من الخطط والمبادرات التنموية الطموحة والمشروعات النوعية التي ستشكل ركيزة قوية لترسيخ ريادة دبي كوجهة سياحية مفضلة للملايين حول العالم

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) October 3, 2018

On top of the 2025 goal, the emirate wants to attract 21-23 million tourists by 2022 by increasing its presence in major tourism markets, diversifying its sources of income, increasing the competitiveness of its tourism experience and promoting its attractiveness as a business destination.

The emirate had previously set a goal of attracting 20 million tourists by 2020.

US payments firm Mastercard ranked Dubai fourth globally for overnight visitors in a report released last month.

The emirate’s 15.79 million arrivals last year, compared to 17.44 million in Paris, 19.83 million in London and 20.05 million in Bangkok.

Read: Dubai to see 5.5% growth in overnight tourists this year

Mastercard projects Dubai will attract 5.5 per cent more tourists in 2018.